GOAL!!!

Brazil is getting easier to get around, mainly because I am finally being able to quasi-communicate with my slowly improving Portuguese. So much has happened, but here are some high lights.

Last week, I went to my first local soccer game! We rode with Kristen´s host brother in a car that may or may not have been held together with gum and tape. The soccer game was held in Barra Dào, where guards with dogs were in every corner and guards in lines would walk up and down the stands. On two occasions, the guards with dogs had to charge the middle of the field to avert a fight or to protect a ref. The best part of the experience was a particular enthusiastic fan, standing behind us who would cheer or curse very loudly. One of my fav comments was "oi (Vitoria player)your mom´s a whore!" Overall, the experience was great.

This past weekend, the group went to an MST camp and stayed in an MST settlement, amongst some of the poorest people in Brazil. We were about an hour out of Salvador and truely living the country life- tending to the fields during the day and laying under the stars at night. For the first time in a month, the night was quiet and cool. We were invited to a birthday party, did some samba-ing, and plently of talking to the locals. Experiencing life in an MST settlement was incredibly humbling and I was impressed with the community. Community members grew their own food and if they had extra they sold it or gave it to a neighbor in need. Conversation and spending time with people severely outweigh material possessions. Community members are expected to behave well, all those who break the rules are voted out of the settlement. Only one homocide has occured in the past 13 years.

We also visited Cachoeira, a very important historic city in Bahia. The buildings were all vibrantly colored, which is a common theme in Brazil, and the town was rich with Brazilian history. Overall, the weekend was great. I am very dirty and need to do a lot of laundry.

The weeks go by fast- full of class and afternoon adventures. It takes a lot of time to get to and from school. And homework, what is that again? The Independent Study Project has taken over my school lens. I am planning on working and doing a film project on street children in Brazil.

I´ll check in again after next weekend. Ciao, ciao.